Such is life as the Devils’ backup. Corey Schwab notches his first shutout as a Devil, skunking the Leafs team he saved last year, and he rides the bench tonight in Toronto.

“We know what the situation is here,” Schwab said of giving way to Martin Brodeur this evening after last night’s 2-0 triumph over the Leafs at the Meadowlands.

“If you have the best goalie in hockey, and that’s some people’s opinion, why wouldn’t you play him?” Schwab asked.

One reason would be to give Brodeur rest, which is one reason Schwab played last night. Perfect on 17 shots, Schwab again served notice that the Devils can rely upon him, and that Brodeur need not burn out this year.

Gaining his second career victory as a Devil in his second tour with New Jersey, Schwab lowered his goals-against average to a startling 1.26. He squared his season at 2-2 by blanking the same Leafs who zipped him 1-0 on Dec. 7 in Toronto – his last start.

“I was thinking in the third that this was going to be the opposite of that 1-0 game,” said Schwab, who signed as a free agent with the Devils after leading the Leafs to the playoffs when Curtis Joseph broke his hand.

“I don’t have any hard feelings against them. I might not be in the league now if they didn’t give me a chance last year,” said Schwab, who had spent the entire previous season in the minors.

Schwab gave the Devils their fifth shutout of the season, and their first by someone other than Brodeur since John Vanbiesbrouck blanked the Canucks 4-0 March 23, 2001 at the Meadowlands.

It was also the second shutout in three games for the Devils, who have allowed only three goals in their last four. But while they’ve been stingy, they were again struggling to score themselves. They waited until only 1:21 was left to score a second goal in regulation for the first time in those four, and they have not scored more than two goals in six straight.

With that sort of non-support, a shutout helps.

“If I can string a couple of wins together, it might make a difference down the stretch in the standings,” Schwab said.

Schwab received all the cushion he would need when Jiri Bicek put the Devils in front with his first of the year at 8:59 of the second. Most eyes, Leafs included, were watching Scott Stevens deliver some extra shots to an already-flattened Darcy Tucker in the Devil zone when Patrik Elias rushed up ice, leaving a drop that Bicek ripped from the top of the left circle.

“That first goal was kind of a joke about what was going on on the ice,” Leafs coach Pat Quinn said. “Something should have happened. Some whistle.”

Staked to the lead, Schwab held off his former teammates’ third-period frenzy. He sticked away a slot shot form Alexei Ponikarovsky, stacked the pads on Tom Fitzgerald and waffled out Alexander Mogilny’s wrister from the slot in the first four minutes of the third.

Elias put the game away with 1:29 left, scoring through Ed Belfour’s legs after his 2-on-1 pass was blocked back by Tomas Kaberle.